Theme Song

Come on, come out, we don't have all day (Gray and Fortis try getting Durus, Leviculus, Fidens, and Magna out of bed with an annoyed look on their faces)
Let's do this adventure the right way (Gray runs down a road with Chase, Durus, Audino, Tara, Scyther, and her other Pokemon following)
We will look back on what we were (Fortis is pictured on a black canvas before a faded image of a Flygon appears behind him in flames)
Even now, we're still unsure... (Team Purity's logo flashes on the screen, and Deus' masked faces appear)
What the future holds! (Gray's final team flashes by)
Be fast, grab your dreams and run (Trentavious, Savannah, and Marcus appear with their starters, and they smirk at Gray while Trent glares)
Look back, make sure to have fun (Gray, Chase, and Tara sit underneath a tree with their Pokemon while laughing)
Remember now, don't look back, Stay calm and give it a crack... (Gray and her Pokemon stand on a hill with Chase, Audino, Tara, and Scyther)
Pokemon!

What's goin' on, people? Last chapter, Gray defeated Savannah thanks to the efforts of Fidens, Durus, and Fortis, with the last of the three evolving. This chapter will be about Chase getting the guts to ask Gray out, and we'll see where it goes from there. Now, let's get going!

Blaze Falcon: That last battle wasn't really close, but I wouldn't say she got owned... actually, yes she did! Wooh! Fortis! Anyways... I didn't see anything too slick about what Savannah said, though her Pokemon (Flareon specifically) were pretty boisterous. Of course, it was in good fun, excluding what Flareon had to say. As for Gray's Pokemon, they really were amazing, and I think you summed it up pretty well

Shion Rasenka: Yeah! Gray has her first rival win, and Fortis is one step closer to becoming a Flygon! Hopefully Chase gets the response he wants, otherwise that'd be a really crappy way to end the chapter

Defender31415: Thanks, XD Velcro socks, lol. Yeah, that was a pretty bug chapter in terms of battling skills developing, and it was good for all of Gray's Pokemon to perform so well, especially Fortis

MCMXCV: That's great to hear, and thank you! It's great that Gray finally beat one of her rivals, but Savannah will get her revenge sooner or later so she doesn't seem like the weakest of Gray's rivals. And I'm glad I showed the personalities as well as you wanted them to be. Flareon's a really fun character to write about, and Venasaur compliments him well. And assuming Gray does say yes, I don't think it's her needing a boyfriend, more Chase needing a girlfriend, specifically Gray

ShadowDragon9000: Well, it won't be long until Fortis evolves again, and Defeatist will come back to haunt Fidens pretty soon, too, so he's not out of the clear yet. And who's to say I won't make Gray say no? Lol, my goal with this story was to mix it up (female protagonist, one Pokemon from each region, translators), so I think, given how different this story has been, it's more likely Gray will end up saying no. Then again, I could be trolling you right now ;P

Trentavious Phoenix: Lol, not at all, man XD Flygon is a pretty "weak" dragon type, but I think Fortis will show you just how wrong assumptions can be, especially later in the story

Gray's team

Durus, (f), level 33, Scratch, Feint Attack, Bite, Metal Claw, Pay Day*, Screech* - (Persian)

Leviculus, (m), level 30, Water Gun, Hypnosis, Rain Dance, Body Slam, Mega Kick*, Ice Punch* - (Politoed)

Fidens, (m), level 30, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Ancient Power, Double Team, Scary Face*, Pluck* - (Archen)

Magna, (f), level 28, Confusion, Yawn, Astonish, Uproar, Last Resort*, Protect* - (Chingling)

Fortis, (m), level 35, Bite, Feint Attack, Dragon Breath, Earth Power, Bide*, Earthquake* - (Vibrava)

While sitting in his bedroom inside the Celadon City Pokemon Center, Chase sighed. He, Tara, and Gray had arrived in the city a few days ago and spent their time touring, and Gray was training nonstop for her looming Gym Battle. Audino was sitting on the other bed in the room and looked at her trainer worriedly as he let out another depressed sigh, which made her speak up.

"Are you okay, Chase? You seem really down," the normal type inquired before pointing out the obvious. The teen shook his head before turning his back to Audino, making the Pokemon get on her feet before using Fairy Wind, which knocked Chase off his bed and into a wall. "What's the matter?" the Pokemon asked again as Chase got up and glared at her. After hearing the question for a second time, he hung his head and ran his hands through his hair.

"It's just... ever since Tara joined us I haven't gotten to spend any time with Gray, and you know how I feel about her," the teen answered before falling on the bed angrily. "Not that I hate Tara, but I just wish it could be me and Gray for a little." Audino rolled her eyes at Chase while shaking her head, and she walked over to the teen and helped him on his feet.

"You can't be that dumb, can you?" the normal type inquired, making Chase cock his head. The Pokemon let out an annoyed sigh before grabbing the collar of Chase's shirt and pulling him towards her face. "Ask her out! You'll have alone time if you do that!" After throwing Chase back, Audino watched as the boy instantly shook his head. "Seriously? You're going to complain about not being alone, but you refuse to tell her your feelings. Humans can be so annoying some times."

"Hey, it's a lot more complicated than you think! We've been friends for a long time, and I don't want to possibly ruin that by asking her out!" Chase screamed angrily, making Audino's ears move back, and she hung her head in response. "Sorry, Audino, you know I'm not mad at you. I'm just mad at the situation." Chase looked down at the ground and put his face in his hands. After a few minutes of silence, the teen felt a tug at his leg, which made him look up and see Audino, who was smiling. Chase smiled in response, and a sudden rush of confidence swept over his body, making him stand up.

"You know what? I'm going to do it!" Chase proclaimed before walking for the door, which made Audino jump up and down while clapping joyfully. As soon as Chase opened the door to his room, he screamed and fell on his rear end. Gray, who was standing at the door, sweat dropped in response and looked at Audino quizzically, though the normal type didn't respond.

"What are you going to do?" the girl asked with a bright smile, which made Chase turn beet red. Durus strolled into the room and glanced at Chase before laughing at him, and she settled down next to Audino while Gray's other Pokemon stormed into the room.

"I-uh... I..." Chase stammered, trying to think of a response that made sense. He couldn't, however, and rose to his feet with a blush. "Have fun?" the aspiring doctor replied while his voice rose, making Gray and her Pokemon laugh, which caused Chase to blush even more. Gray stopped laughing after realizing how embarrassed Chase was, and she decided to make her Pokemon get out.

"Guys, how about you wait for me at the battlefield?" The five Pokemon nodded in response and bolted out of the room as quickly as they entered. Audino decided to stay, however, and she sat on the bed furthest away from the teens. "Are you okay? You're as red as a tomato," Gray told Chase, making the boy laugh nervously while he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I'm okay, thanks." An awkward silence fell over the room, and Gray turned to leave, but Chase's arm shot forwards and he placed his hand on her shoulder. As the girl turned around, she saw Chase take a deep breath and look back at Audino, who nodded at him. The teen gave a thumbs up to his Pokemon, and he locked eyes with Gray before trembling nervously. "Actually, I was thinking... maybe we could..." Chase's voice trailed off and he started pushing his index fingers against each other nervously, confusing Gray.

"Just say it already!" Audino shouted, making Gray giggle until Chase cleared his throat and spoke.

"Do you want to go on a date with me?" A sudden weight was lifted off Chase's shoulders, and he gave a sigh of relief before looking at Gray, who had a pained expression on her face. After noticing Chase had seen her reaction, Gray cleared her throat and locked her hands together behind her back. While Chase couldn't tell what Gray's reaction meant, Audino could and her heart dropped. The poor boy didn't know what was coming, and his heart was about to be crushed.

"I'm sorry, Chase, but now's not a good time for me," the brunette answered, trying to delicately say no. Chase's relaxed demeanor quickly turned to one of devastation, which prompted Gray to place her hand on his shoulder. "It's not that I don't want to, I just... need some time to take this in," Gray explained. "We've been friends for our whole lives, and I don't want to dive into this."

"Oh, okay!" Chase replied with an upbeat attitude, making Gray's heart drop. Clearly, her poor wording didn't get the point across, and she forced a smile at the intelligent teen. With that, she waved and ran down the hall to go to the battlefield, and Chase closed the door before flopping onto his bed with a smile. "At least she didn't say no!"

Audino continued to shake her head at Chase, but she didn't dare say anything that would kill his emotional high. No, she'd leave that for Gray.

Ouch. Chase finally decided to ask Gray out after some encouragement from Audino, but his hopes were crushed (at least not to his knowledge) by Gray basically saying she wasn't interested. This little thing won't be spoken of for a while, and by a while I mean the Saffron Arc or Lavender Arc. Next chapter is my favorite so far (there's one coming up that I LOVE), so get hyped! Till next time, peace out.

1) Have you seen the new Japanese intro for the anime? Holy crap, it's intense, and actually gave me an idea I'm thinking of implementing

Next Chapter: "Fortis vs Florges: Save Celadon!": When a wild Florges decides to run rampant throughout Celadon City, Gray and her Pokemon spring into action. While no trainer can challenge the Florges, Fortis steps up and battles the angry Pokemon. Will Gray and Fortis be able to win, or will Florges destroy Celadon City?

Celadon City Arc

Chapter 37: Dealing with a Diva
Chapter 38: Fidens Takes Flight!